1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a micromechanical resonator. More specifically, the invention relates to a nonlinear micromechanical resonator for use with a mass sensor.
2. Related Technology
Most mechanical microresonators utilize shift in natural frequency to sense mass. Such micro/nano mass sensors have been demonstrated for applications in biological and chemical environments. Mass sensitivity of resonance based sensors primarily depends on the quality factor, and the mass of the structure used as sensor. A mass sensor operating in vacuum performs better than in air as the frequency peak gets sharper with higher quality factor. Further, reducing the resonant structure from a micro-sized to a nano-sized resonator can result in improved mass sensitivity.
It is therefore desirable to design a microresonator that permits the user to utilize nonlinearities in the microresonator to determine the mass of objects.